Conjugation
by interstellarpirate
Summary: Following the king's negotiations with Camelia Claustra, the First Secretary of Accordo, she allows Noctis to meet with Lady Lunafreya. Finally, after 12 long years, Noctis and Luna are reunited, under very unsettling circumstances.


_**Conjugation**_

Warm rays of golden sunlight streamed through the windows, casting it's warm glow across the floor. A girl with blonde hair, braided over the top of her head and pinned up in a high ponytail, was seated near the window with a special book in her hands. A book she had been exchanging back and forth with someone near and dear to her heart for many years. The blonde girl closed aquamarine eyes and breathed in deeply basking in the warmth of the sun shining over her face, in attempt to bring her heart at ease, and she clutched the book to her chest. She'd been sitting in this room for the last hour going over and over again in her head the words she'd planned to speak to the people of Altissia during her address speech which was to be held tomorrow early in the day. Being an Oracle was never an easy task, but nevertheless, she took her duty with pride, held it carefully within her own hands and despite her burdens and struggles, moved ever forward with it.

The Oracle, known as Lunafreya, sat quietly in the room of the estate given to her by the First Secretary of Altissia. The woman known as Camelia Claustra had been keeping the Oracle within their safekeeping of her home. They were aware that the people of Altissia knew that the Oracle had arrived here, and to avoid being too quickly noticed or seen within the public eye and cause chaos from excitement, and to stay out of the media's way, she had quickly been ushered into the estate, incognito and during the cover of night. Safe though she may be, Lunafreya was also aware of what was going on with the Empire and the imperial army just outside of the safety of the estate's gates.

She sighed, laying the book down on the table in front of her, and raised a hand to her chest, gently clutching at the crescent moon pendant laying loosely against her skin. Soon. Very soon. She'd be standing in front of hundreds of people delivering an address of hope to the sorrowful and those suffering from the starscourge. She prayed that her words would give them some semblance of peace, some sort of solace, to the people around the world as she also knew her speech would be radio broadcasted all over Eos. The blond woman was shaken from her silent reverie by the door to her room bursting open. Lunafreya gasped, inclining her head over her shoulder to see what was disturbing her.

"Luna!?" was the frantic voice that resounded in her ears, and Luna caught herself staring into a pair of light, gray-blue eyes. Eyes she had seen before, but had not seen in years that were widened and shone with worry, lips that stood agape in surprise. That familiar form she'd so longed to see for 12 years was standing just feet away from her now. He stood in the doorway, dressed in his usual black attire, the steel colored strands of hair falling into his eyes, slightly breathless as if he'd been running. "Luna..." he spoke her name again, and Luna allowed herself to slowly rise in her seat, turning to face the boy, no the boy had become a man Luna realized, the man in front of her. Her heart stumbled for a moment, skipping a few beats in her chest, and rose into her throat.

"Noctis...?" Luna questioned herself more than she questioned the man in front of her. Before she knew it, her legs were picking up underneath her, moving faster and faster forward. He was moving toward her too now, his arms raising themselves, wide open, and the girl forgot about her dignity in that moment as did the man. She forgot about her duty as an Oracle. She forgot about the fact that she was the princess of Tenebrae. She allowed herself to run to him, and right into his outstretched arms. Luna threw herself against him just as he pressed into her, her arms coming up to wrap around his back, while his arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her flush against him.

They were both panting slightly, and Luna didn't care. He was here. He was real. He was warm, and alive, and he was holding onto her. So tightly. At the present time, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was not the Oracle, nor was she the Princess of Tenebrae. Lunafreya was just like any other normal girl. A girl who was seeing someone so dear to her, someone she loved with all her heart and always had, after 12 long years. It was like a soldier finally coming home to his beloved from the war. After years of writing to each other, of their book filled with notes, photos, secrets and stories, they were finally together again in person, and the realization that Noctis was finally holding her in his arms, strong and tight around her small frame forced Luna to swallow down a lump that had formed in her throat and close her eyes tightly against his chest as impending tears began burning in them. "Oh, Noctis," Luna breathed against the warmth of him. "You're here. I can't believe it. You're truly here." She listened to the sounds of his heart pounding next to her ear.

Noctis buried his face into the soft, blonde locks of Luna's hair and breathed in deep, making a mental note that her scent was exactly the same as he remembered it, the scent of sylleblossoms and something feminine, and memories of their childhood came flooding back to him. "Finally... after all these years... I get to see you see again," he murmured against her hair, and Luna felt him tremble underneath her hold. She clutched the back of his jacket in fistfuls, and if possible, Noctis held her tighter.

"Noctis, I can't believe you're here," Luna repeated, as no other words would form on her lips. Her mind and heart were a whirl of emotions.

Noctis let out a sound between a half laugh, half sob. "I can't believe it either. I'm so glad to see that you're safe. I just finished negotiations with Camelia in order to keep you safe. She was ready to hand you over to the imperial army if that's what it took to keep her own people protected. I couldn't let that happen to you."

The twosome finally pulled apart from one another and stared hard into each other's eyes. Luna couldn't help but take in every tiny detail of the prince's face, which was slightly blushing, Luna was sure, from him forgetting a bit about his dignity as well. His jawline had sharpened, but his face still held the same, boyish charm it did when they were children, and it still expressed the shyness in him, and his eyes still held the innocence of a puppy. It didn't matter to her. Dignity lost for a moment or not wasn't important. They were together again, after so many years. They should be allowed this moment. She'd seen television broadcasts of the king and the prince over the years and caught images of Noctis here and there. He had even sent her photos off and on when they exchanged the notebook back and forth between each other, but to see him now, in the flesh and so grown, and so handsome, was almost too much for Luna to take, and her eyes filled with fresh tears. "Thank you, Noctis." she choked out with a smile. "I'm sorry. This is just overwhelming. Seeing you again. Being here with you again. It means the world to me."

Noctis just smiled and nodded his head. "I know the feeling. I'm just so glad I got here in time. I don't know what I would have done had Camelia handed you over to the Empire."

"I assure you, that I am safe. Camelia was planning on keeping me here and out of the viewing of the public eye until time for my address to the nation. She also knew of my coming here was to commune with the Hydrean, but she knows not of what the rite could entail, but the fact that she allowed me to stay here and keep me safe, I am now in her debt. We haven't had much time to speak to one another, though, as she's been busy," the Oracle explained.

Noctis nodded his head in understanding. "During my negotiations with her, she asked very specific questions, and I was very thorough and truthful with my answers. I couldn't exactly lie. I needed her trust to keep you safe, Luna," Noctis began, explaining his prior situation. "I told her that the rite entitled me to Leviathan's power, just like with Titan. Camelia agreed to cooperate, so long as we evacuate her people from the city. The Empire is here, and they want to take down Leviathan. They're already prepared to target the goddess, just like they tried to do with Titan. Camelia knows the risks, and she knows there will be a full-scale battle. Ignis, Prompto and Gladio agreed to evacuating the citizens while we focus on the rite."

Luna placed a hand over her chest and sighed. "I'm glad you told me this. It's obvious that the Empire is trying to take down the Six, but I must get to Leviathan before they do. I know that the imperial army is right on our doorstep. That much does not elude me. The important thing is, is that I commune with the Hydrean. The covenant is very important."

There was a bit of a cough and clearing of the throat from the doorway where Noctis had once been, and Luna peered over his shoulder to see three men standing there. A big, burly tattooed man with a scar across his face, a well-mannered and dressed bespectacled man, and a freckly-faced blonde whom the Oracle instantly recognized. "I'm so sorry, Noctis. I didn't realize that your friends were here as well." She straightened herself up and walked around the prince, whom also turned to face his friends in the doorway. "Please, come in. How rude of me. Had I known you were there, I would have invited you inside."

Gladio was the first to come forward. "No need for apologies, Lady Lunafreya. We didn't want to break up the happy reunion," the man waved a large hand, throwing Noctis a smirk, who blushed and turned his head off to the side, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Errr, you guys saw that?" Noctis questioned, refusing to look at any of his friends. He was definitely going to catch a lot of hell later from those three, and he knew it. The teasing would be unbearable.

"Yeah we saw it. Every last bit of it," Gladio nudged the prince with his elbow, and Noctis ignored him. Luna just laughed.

"So you must be Gladiolus Amicitia," Luna pointed out instantly. "The King's Shield, was it? Noctis has told me quite a lot about you. He learned to wield a sword from you." She smiled up at the man who'd now been rendered silent himself, and Luna was sure Gladiolus was wondering just what kinds of things Noctis had told her about him. She glanced at the embarrassed prince, who was now staring at the floor, and had to hold back a giggle. Luna looked over at the glasses-wearing gentleman, all clean-cut and properly dressed. "And you must be Ignis Stupeo Scientia, right? The King's Advisor?"

"Yes, Lady Lunafreya," Ignis bowed his head momentarily. "It is very nice to finally and formally make your acquaintance. It appears that Noctis will be in good hands under your care. I am grateful."

The Oracle reached out and took Ignis' hand. "Thank you, Ignis, but it is I who is grateful to you. I remember Noctis telling me that you once tried to replicate a special dessert he had once in Tenebrae while under my and my mother's care after he was injured. It was a special delicacy native to Tenebrae, but I was informed that you did all you could to try and make it for him. I wanted to thank you, Ignis. Thank you for your kindness towards Noctis, and for looking after him for all these years when I could not."

Lunafreya lamented silently to herself momentarily. How she wished she could've stayed at his side, nurturing him and helping him as was an Oracle's duty. "Unfortunately, I sadly could not get to him due to the circumstances of Lucis and Niflhiem being enemies, as my homeland had been taken over by the Imperial Army, and thus was allied to the Empire. As such, I was kept captive inside of my own home, so I had no means of getting to Noctis on my own. How I wish I could have, though. I'm grateful he had you to help him over the years."

Luna released his hand, and Ignis bowed his head, to hide a smile that had crept up to the corners of his mouth. "It was my duty. I was honored to do so and bound by it, Lady Lunafreya. I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Noctis face and neck became very warm, and he turned his head so nobody could see the redness. The Oracle smiled, and nodded her head, before turning it to see a very nervous, fidgety, twitchy, lacing his fingers together, blonde-haired, freckle-faced young man that Luna recognized instantly from the photos that Noctis had sent her. Noctis threw Prompto a sharp glance that said _calm down... don't embarrass me in front of her_ but Prompto ignored him. Luna made her way forward, reached out and grabbed both of Prompto's hands in her own, causing him to unleash a surprised gasp, his blue eyes widening. "And, Prompto! How long I've been waiting to meet you as well! I know I thanked you all of those years ago in a letter for taking care of Pryna when she was injured, and how overjoyed I was when she returned to my side, but I never got to thank you properly. So, thank you, dear Prompto, for looking after her. I'm so very grateful to you."

Prompto's face and ears turned a bright shade of red, as Luna released his hands, and a big dopey smile spread across his face. It was all Noctis could do to not bury his face in his palm. His best friend was a mixture of nervous, excited and embarrassed. "Oh! Tiny? I-I mean, Pryna? Oh, it was nothing at all. I'm glad she got back to you safely. I-it's... so nice to finally get to meet you in person too, Lady Lunafreya." Prompto stated nervously, toeing at the ground for a moment, staring at his shoe, seemingly wanting to say something else, but couldn't come up with the words.

Luna seemed to know instantly what it was he wanted. "Prompto? Would you like to see Pryna again?" Prompto swiftly raised his head, and before he could say anything, a white, fluffy dog resembling a Husky came bounding into the room, along with Umbra, at her side. She ran right up to Prompto, hopping up on her hind paws and placing her front ones on Prompto's leg.

"Tiny! You're not so tiny anymore are you!?" the gunman exclaimed as he dropped down to one knee, and Pryna proceeded to put her front paws on Prompto's shoulders, smothering him with puppy kisses, and Prompto wrapped his arms around Pryna's white, fuzzy neck. "It's so good to see you again. I'm so glad you're alright, and look at you, all grown up. You're not a puppy anymore, are you girl?" Prompto cooed, rubbing her behind the ears. Pryna closed her eyes, enjoying the ear rub while Noctis, Gladio and Ignis watched in amusement.

Luna found herself smiling widely at their sweet reunion. "I'm so happy you two could meet again, Prompto. I'm happy at this turn of events." She knelt down beside him and leaned into his ear. "I'm also very happy that you followed my advice. I'm so grateful that Noctis has you for his best friend." She stood back up and looked over to where Noctis stood with his arms folded across his chest looking confused. "I'll tell you later on," she mouthed to him and Noctis nodded his steel-colored head.

Gladio cleared out his throat. "Ahem, if I might remind you, Your Highness. I believe King Regis told you to mind your manners around your, how was it he put it, 'charming bride-to-be' correct?" The room suddenly grew very silent at the mention of the late King's name. Noctis lowered his head and stared at the floor. Luna folded her hands, her gaze drawn downward, and Prompto had risen to his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out wrong," Gladio added quickly, noticing how the mood in the room had become much less light.

Ignis placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "It's alright, Gladio. Perhaps we should take our leave, and let His Highness and Lady Lunafreya have some time alone together. They have much to catch up on. We can roam the city until they're done," the king's advisor suggested, and Gladio nodded his head in agreement. "If you will excuse us then," Ignis ushered both Gladio and Prompto out, following behind them and giving Noctis a nod, closing the door behind him. It was now just the two of them, and Noctis swallowed nervously. He had so many questions he'd wanted to ask Luna, but he was unsure of just how to bring everything up to her.

Luckily, Luna seemed to read his thoughts and she walked forward taking Noctis' hands into her own and squeezing them gently. "I know that you have a lot of questions for me. I'm sure I could answer most of them, if we had the time, but everything we need to discuss will have to wait. I want you to know, Noctis, that I was there when... when your father, when... King Regis, passed on... I wanted to stop it. I had ahold of his hand as we were running, and he let go... and he put up a wall of protection in front of me. It was... one of the hardest things I have ever endured. "

Noctis looked up from their joined hands and into her honest, and earnest eyes. They told so much and yet not enough. "I-I see," was all he managed to get out, and then he found Luna leading him across the room over to a bed. They both stood in front of it. Noctis found he couldn't take his eyes off of Luna. She was finally going to answer some of the questions he'd had since the fall of Insomnia. "He wanted to keep you safe, Luna... just like I do."

"Noctis, there's something else. There was man who betrayed us," Luna began solemnly. "He was on the Empire's side, and he proved King Regis' demise. His name was General Glauca. You would know him as Drautos. Noctis, this entire time, Drautos had been plotting against Lucis. He masqueraded as General Glauca so as to hide his identity."

Noctis gasped hard at these words and he dropped down onto the edge of the bed, incredulous. "What...? Drautos? Luna... are you sure? Because if it was Drautos...," Noctis raised a hand and pressed it against his forehead. "Luna, it's all my fault. My dad died and it's my fault."

Luna's brows furrowed in confusion, and she stared searchingly at the prince. "Noctis, I don't understa-," she began and was swiftly interrupted by him.

"Before I left... to come meet you in Altissia, before everything went down, Drautos came outside with my father. I was so... so careless about how I said my goodbyes, and I told Drautos that my-my dad was in his hands. My exact words were 'Drautos, he's in your hands' and I never knew he was an enemy, and I left my dad in his hands, Luna. I left my dad to be killed by him, killed by a traitor because I was none the wiser." Noctis dropped his head, eyes beginning to sting, and he buried his face into the palms of his hands, taking a few breaths to try and calm himself and not lose composure in front of Luna, but his throat was tightening, and his chest squeezing painfully, and his eyes were tingling.

Luna felt the worry, compassion for her beloved fill her from the inside out, and a strong desire to comfort him took hold. She carefully seated herself next to Noctis on the bed, and gently laid a hand against his arm. "Noctis... King Regis' death was not your fault. You cannot place blame on yourself for his passing. There was... nothing any of us could have done. The painful truth of it all is, is that your father was beyond saving. His body was already damaged, suffering due to the Wall and the power of the crystal draining him. Drautos only managed to hasten his passing. Eventually, we would have still lost him. So please, Noctis. Please... I beg of you... do not blame yourself for this," Luna pleaded softly. "Your father, he... he left me with one last wish." Noctis lifted his head from his hands, and gazed over at Luna searchingly. "Noctis, King Regis wished for you and I to be happy together. Let's be happy, Noctis. Not just for us, but for him."

Luna could feel Noctis shudder and tremble underneath her hand, and so she just left it against the warm skin of his arm, squeezing ever so gently, trying to silently support him as best she could. Then, she heard the first very soft sob escape him and her heart fell. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him, but she didn't want to embarrass him or make him feel uncomfortable either. So she opted to sit silently. It was when she saw the first tears make their way down his face, Luna couldn't help herself. "Noctis," she said his name softly and pulled him into her arms. She waited for Noctis to freeze up under her hold, and even pull away from her, but he didn't.

He welcomed her hold, and laid his head against her shoulder, burying his face into her neck and hair. "It's alright. It's alright to grieve for your father, and miss him. It's not alright to blame yourself, though. None of this was your fault. It was just his time." Luna ran her fingers through his steely, spiked locks, smoothing them down, and stroked the tips of them at the base of his neck. She could hear the prince's breath hitching, and feel the warm wet of his tears against her skin, and it was all she could do to not break down herself, but she could not. She was an Oracle. She brought comfort to the people and eased their suffering. Noctis was no exception. The duty of the Oracle was to aid the King, and so Luna steeled her emotions blinking the salty water in her eyes away, and held the grieving prince in her arms for as long as he wanted to be there and did her duty as Oracle. Whether or not it was working, all Luna wanted in that moment was to ease his own suffering.

After awhile, the prince's body stopped trembling, the sobbing calm to a halt. Slowly, he pulled himself out of Luna's hold, keeping his head down, and wiping the back of his hand over his eyes. "Sorry...," he muttered, still unable to look at the girl.

Luna smiled a watery smile at him, and rose to her feet, offering her hand. Noctis took it shly and stood up from the bed on his own feet. "There's nothing to apologize for. It was a lot to take in, but I felt you deserved to know." Luna felt better knowing that she was the one able to inform him of the truth, rather than someone else.

Noctis sighed and ran a hand through his hair, before looking out the window and noticing the sun beginning to make it's descent. Luna being the one to tell him what had happened, softened the blow, and he was grateful to her, but he wasn't sure how to respond, and he felt silly for losing his composure like that in front of her, so he changed the subject. "Right... I should probably be heading out and meeting up with the others. You need to get a good night's rest for your address tomorrow, and we have to make preparations for the upcoming evacuation and battle."

Luna nodded her blonde head in agreement, ponytail bobbing. "Yes. I do need to prepare for tomorrow, and I could definitely use the rest." She gazed a bit longingly at the bed beside her. "After the address is over, you and I will meet at the altar for the rite. You have yet to receive Leviathan's blessing. And once the citizens are safely evacuated, we'll meet up with your friends and plan our next move. We still have yet to awaken and commune with the rest of the Six, and we must hold onto hope that the Empire does not reach them first."

Noctis cleared his throat a bit nervously. "You know, earlier, when we were checking out the sights in the city, we uh... we came across your wedding dress. A lot of... people were gathered there, and Gladio mentioned something to me. He said, that we... well, we should still get married and become a symbol of the peace to the people. So I've been thinking about it, and I mean...," Noctis stammered, unsure of how to really say he did still want to marry the woman in front of him, without just outright saying it, but he couldn't seem to find the words, and he feared sounding foolish and dumb in front of her.

Luna beamed, reaching a hand out to cup the prince's face with it. "You know, I don't find that to be such a terrible idea at all. In fact, the very notion of it, nothing would make me happier."

Noctis, shocked at Luna's words, searched her eyes, her face, her expression for any hint of a laugh or joke, but nothing was there. She looked very serious and yet filled with a sort of happiness that could only be seen in a bride-to-be, but there was something else behind her eyes he struggled to read. Noctis couldn't help himself, and he smiled, taking her by the hand and pulling her back into a hug. The top of Luna's head brushed against his chin, and Noctis lowered his head, placing a gentle kiss on top of her crown of blonde hair. Luna lifted her head, aquamarine eyes gazing into Noctis' own light blue ones before she brought her hands up to hold his face, and she pulled his head down to her lips, placing a sweet, soft kiss on his forehead. "We will meet again soon. Tomorrow, after my address speech. Atop the altar where Leviathan sleeps in the deep. There, we will perform the covenant and receive the goddess of the sea's blessing. Together."

"Can't wait," Noctis chuckled as the two pulled back from one another. Noctis kept his hands on Luna's shoulders. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Don't worry. I'll have a front row seat during your address. I wouldn't miss it for the world. And, Luna? Thank you... thank you for all of this. I know what a burden it is on you, and how hard this is for you. I just needed you to know how grateful I am." Noctis ran his hand down Luna's bare arm, and her skin was covered with goosebumps. He held onto her delicate fingers in his own, giving them a small squeeze. The prince let go, turned and exited the room, with Luna closing the door quietly behind him, listening to his fading footsteps. She dropped her forehead against the door, and placed her hands on it bracing herself, finally allowing the tears she'd been holding back the entire time to make their appearance and descend.

"How can I tell him... how can I tell him the truth? That my body is failing me because of my calling? My dearest Noctis... our parting might be much quicker than we realize... we may not get to have a wedding at all..." Luna felt the strength leave her legs and she slid down the door, falling to her knees, and she buried her face in her hands and finally wept.

Noctis left the estate, looking upward at the slowly darkening sky, before he saw his friends standing just outside the estate gates waiting on him. "Well, better late then never I guess," he shrugged to himself as he ran forward to meet up with his entourage, not knowing about Luna's fate, and not knowing just what lay ahead the next day.

~End


End file.
